The present disclosure relates generally to the information technology field, and more particularly to the collection of information in a facility.
Different types of facilities are available to provide a large variety of services to users thereof. A typical example is a ski resort, which comprises one or more slopes for skiing and corresponding ski lifts for transporting users of the ski resort (i.e., skiers) uphill to the top of the slopes. Generally, each ski lift is provided with one or more turnstiles that control access thereto; each skier purchases a ski-pass, which allows him/her to pass through the turnstiles in order to board the corresponding ski lifts.
The turnstiles of modern ski resorts implement a hand-free mechanism. In this case, each ski-pass comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag that stores an indication of a corresponding validity period. Each turnstile is provided with an RFID station, which reads the RFID tag of the ski-pass of each skier that reaches the turnstile and causes the turnstile to open when the validity period of the ski-pass is not expired. This significantly increments the speed of the passage through the turnstiles (since the skiers do not have to handle the ski-passes that may be kept in their pockets) and reduces an operating cost of the ski resort (since the access to the ski lifts is controlled automatically without the need of dedicated staff).
The ski-passes based on RFID tags may also be used to provide additional services. For example, Chakraborty et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 8,669,845 B1) describes a known monitoring system wherein an RFID scanner located at a boarding location of the ski lifts reads a unique identifier of an access product of each customer of a ski resort, and then determines the skier behavior accordingly. Likewise, the “Performance Check” of the known “Dolomiti Superski” registers ski-pass passages at the entry of the lift facilities; each skier may then see the lifts used, the kilometers travelled and the number of meters in altitude difference covered during the day.
In addition, Brooking (US Pub. No. 2002/0070863 A1) describes a known system for tagging skiers, wherein a first type of tag detectors detects signals (comprising corresponding unique identification codes) from tags carried by the skiers as they pass through entrances to areas, and a second type of tag detectors (with a larger detection range) is provided for detecting signals from the tags in the areas (for safety reasons or to provide a search and rescue capability). Likewise, “Poster Abstract: SkiScape Sensing—SenSys '06, Nov. 1-3, 2006, Boulder, Colo., USA—Shane B. Eisenman, Andrew T. Campbell” describes a known application for gathering semi-regular trail condition data and for tracking skier mobility; the application is based on data continuously supplied by ski lifts, static sensors mounted on light poles and mobile sensors mounted on skiers.
Other techniques have also been proposed for helping the skiers. For example, Czaja et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 8,612,181 B2) describes a known system for remote monitoring skier performance. For this purpose, various MEMS sensors embedded in skier clothing and equipment measure instantaneous changes in acceleration; the instantaneous measurements are analyzed, and a corrective response to MEMS actuators embedded in the ski or ski bindings may be sent for changing the parameters of the run or providing enhanced safety. Moreover, Hilliard et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,433,691 B1) describes a known personal collision warning and protection system, wherein a sensor measures a relative range and a relative velocity between a skier and an obstacle in the path. A decision logic and control circuit accordingly determines when there is a hazard, and then activates a warning device; when the circuit determines that the skier cannot avoid the obstacle, an air bag located on the front portion of a jacket worn by the skier is inflated to protect the skier.